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Missouri River Ruptures Two Levees

Torrents of flood waters rushed over rural farmland toward a small town in Iowa and a resort community in Missouri as the rising Missouri River ruptured two levees in northwest Missouri on Monday.

Water rushing from a 50-foot-wide hole in a levee near Hamburg, in far southwest Missouri, is threatening more people. Flood waters are expected by Tuesday to reach a secondary levee protecting the partially evacuated town of about 1,100 people. But if that levee fails, parts of Hamburg could be under as much as 10 feet of standing water, officials said.

The breach near Hamburg, in far southwest Iowa, is threatening more people. The town of about 1,100 residents was already partially evacuated, and water rushing from the 50-foot-wide hole in the levee is expected to reach a secondary levee protecting the town on Tuesday. If that levee fails, parts of town could be under as much as 10 feet of standing water, officials said.

About 45 miles south, the river punched a 225-foot-wide hole through a levee about five miles northwest of Big Lake in Holt County, Mo. The roughly 30 residents who stayed in the resort town after the river started rising were told to leave Monday.